


The Vowed Rings

by blackfin



Category: DRAMAtical Murder (Visual Novel), DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fluff, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-09 08:16:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5532257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackfin/pseuds/blackfin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It is the Eve of Holiensday, a time meant to be spent with family, friends, comrades but Koujaku isn’t so lucky...or is he? Out in the middle of a snowy field, spending the night with his beloved, Koujaku has a very special present to give. One that would change both his and his love’s lives forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Vowed Rings

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Christmas gift for Magemg, on tumblr!

Shivering in the frigid cold, Koujaku leaned back against the wooden fence, shoved his hands into his pants pockets and wondered if he should be appalled or rejoicing his luck. 

Assigned to patrol duty on the Eve of Holiensday, only the unluckiest of the lucky could end up drawing that. Though, he supposed that might be his own fault given the recent spat him and the assignment chief had gotten into. Not matter how he split it, this was most definitely retribution from that bastard for arguing with him in front of the other Brothers but he couldn’t help that that damned fool had been asking for it! What type of idiot would seriously recommend for the majority of their scouts to go to the North when they already had problems with the Big Tooths in the south? The dark elf threat in the Bwor Woods was nothing more than just hot air being passed around by prejudiced dumbasses, looking to earn some fame while innocent folk got hurt in the process. It didn’t help that thickheaded fool was just as prejudiced against the dark elves as the menfolk in the North so of course, he would want to rush down there just to cause more conflict without even really understanding the situation. 

Koujaku hadn’t joined the Brothers just to be met with as much prejudice and hate that he had escaped from and he wasn’t about to let someone in charge spread that shit through the ranks so, of course, he had stood up against the man, called him out on it and told him point blank that they need to leave the “threat” of the dark elves to the Sentinels, who were actually trained in dealing with that kind of thing. Thankfully, a great many of his Brothers, both high and low ranked, had backed him up and ultimately, the call to go North to deal with a nonexistent threat when a very real was actually present elsewhere went nowhere. And, of course, that damned fool hadn’t liked that one bit but since the majority ruled, he couldn’t do much. He had gotten back at him though by assigning him to be in this empty field, looking at a forest that held nothing more than some Mud Fae and a small population of trolls that were about as dangerous as baby cats. He didn’t regret it, however. They hadn’t gone gallivanting around, making matters worse and while the assignment chief hadn’t been happy, the Old Brother had been. A slight smile pushed at Koujaku’s lips as he remembered the look on that bastard’s face when the Old Brother had applauded him for being reasonable, for staying true to the cause, for not letting prejudice get in his way – that had been worth all the trouble. It really had. He certainly hoped it had knocked that assignment chief down a few pegs. 

And besides, it wasn’t like being out here was all bad. After all, he wouldn’t be alone during the night.

Smiling a little, he supposed in a way, he should be celebrating his luck. Though he would have much preferred to be back in his hometown, slurping down the sweet brew of bubble ear and munching on rock ham glazed finely with cinnamon, hard mash heaped to the ceiling with butter, chopped greens topped with nuts and salt, and ending off the meal with a big slice of gorned apple pie while they sat around the fire, counting down the full ticks until it was Holiensday, he wasn’t in for too bad a night. After all, ironically enough, he was going to be joined by his partner, both in the arms of the Brothers and in love, Aoba. He didn’t know what on earth that fool of a assignment officer had been thinking but for some reason, he must have thought that the two of them, together with no one else around, spending the Eve of Holiensday together was somehow a punishment. Chuckling softly, Koujaku shook his head and wondered what on earth had gotten that man to such a high position (and how he managed to keep it as all Koujaku knew of was him slipping up, being overridden by the majority on a great many of his decisions and just generally making an ass out of himself) but he wouldn’t concern himself with such things. There were far more important things to think of. 

Feeling his smile broaden, Koujaku pulled one hand from his pocket, bent over to the satchel beside him, flipped it open, reached inside and brushed his fingers against the small, finely wrapped present sitting atop his supplies. It was a small box, just big enough to fit into the palm of his hand but inside was something very, very precious. He did wish he had a better environment to present this gift but he supposed he had to do the best with his current situation. After all, it wasn’t the presentation that mattered but the gift. He just hoped that this didn’t end up blowing up in his face as there was a bit of a risk with this gift. He didn’t think it would but there was always a chance. Still, he was willing to take the risk because it…it was time. It was time for him to do something like this.

Breathing out slowly, he gave the parcel a little pat before pulling his hand back; he flipped the lid back into place and leaned back up. Reaching into his jacket’s pocket, he pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time. Only a few full clicks until Midnight, Aoba would be arriving at any moment. They were both assigned to be at this location till morning but Aoba had come from the South, near the Cavost border which was about a two hour walk away. Koujaku had already been in the town down the road, Jino, as the original plan was for him and Aoba to meet up there before heading back to Koujaku’s home town, Mido, for Holiensday, with many more of their Brothers as they had all come from the same town. Of course, those plans had changed. The two of them were only assigned for the night – at sunrise the next dawn, the two were free to go where they like. The new plan was to head immediately for Mido with the hopes they would make it in time for the Summer Dinner and the passing of gifts. He could count on his Brothers to save him much of the mighty feast they must be having at this very moment and could eagerly look forward to Winged Tea, Mutters Pie and Aoba’s grandma’s famous donuts, expertly covered with a fine grain of pure sugar. His mouth watered just at the thought of it.

Of course, Koujaku could wait until then to give Aoba his gift as after their feast was the exchanging of gifts but he wanted it to be a special, quiet moment between the two of them. He also wanted to give Aoba the privacy just in case his gift was ill received. This was quite the intimate gift – giving to him whilst surrounded by Brothers, friends and family was most likely not a wise idea as if it were refused, that would just make a horribly awkward situation for the both of them. No, this needed to be private – just between the two of them, in a place where the two of them could talk openly. Though, he did feel that if he had been surrounded by his Brothers, he would feel less nervous. Not that he was sick with nervousness at the moment but still, he was feeling a bit of apprehension. There was a lot that could go wrong, not to mention how big of a step this was going to be between them. He felt it was the right decision, felt that what he was doing was not going to be something that Aoba would be adverse to but still, there was always a chance that he was wrong.

Before he could think of it any further, he heard snow crunching. Looking up, a big smile spread across his face when he saw his Aoba running at full speed towards him. His blue hair bounced as he ran, his face bright red, his amber eyes glowing faintly in the darkness and a huge, happy smile on his face. Even though he was running, snow still somehow managed to land on top of him to leave a dusting along his shoulders and the crown of his head. 

“Koujaku!” He called, waving one of his arms in greeting, “There you are!”

“Yo! Aoba, took you long enough!” Koujaku said playful, his own grin becoming teasing.

“Shut it.” Aoba gasped out as he came to a stop beside him, though he was still smiling, “I got here before midnight, did I not?”

“Just about.” Koujaku replied, reaching up to brush a sweaty strand of hair off his forehead, “I am glad you are here.” He said, leaning drop to press a quick, warm kiss against Aoba’s soft lips. As he always did, he reached up to give one of Aoba’s pointed ears a bit of a tug which immediately earned him a soft snort of laughter. Breathing in deep, he took in Aoba’s pleasant smell – soap, sweat and just a hint of something unique that was entirely his.

Aoba smiled into the kiss, pushing back with his own warmth before leaning back. He thumped Koujaku’s shoulder with his fist, gave him a smile before sliding over beside him and leaning against the fence. Taking several deep breaths, he brushed the sweat from his forehead with one hand before pulling his long, blue hair up into a ponytail. He quickly tied it with a length of twine that had been around his wrist. When he dropped his arms back to his side, Koujaku reached up to take a loose strand of hair in-between his fingers. Wrapping it gently around his finger, he said, “You really do need to let me cut it.”

“Yes, yes. One day.” Aoba replied, “What time is it?”

Popping open his pocket watch, Koujaku glanced down and smiled, “One full click until Midnight.”

Aoba laughed loudly, “See! I made it just in time!”

Koujaku snorted, “By one full click.”

“One full click is still before.” Aoba retorted as he brushed snow from his shoulders. Once he was finished, he sighed softly, leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Delicate flurries of snow fell onto his face as his eyelashes trembled. He breathed steadily, taking in deep breaths before letting them out in white puffs that floated around his face. Koujaku watched as his chest rose and fell with the force of his breath, watched his black eyelashes flutter as snow landed on his eyes, studied his pink lips as they parted to let out breath and silently thanked the assignment chief for giving them this patrol.

Because, in that moment, he knew he had made the right choice. He honestly did love Aoba so much. He had loved them ever since they met five years ago when the two of them had first been taken into the arms of the Brothers. He had loved him from the first touch, first confession, first kiss and he, impossibly, loved him even more now than he had before. And he knew. He knew that this was the right choice – this was the choice, the path he needed to take.

Turning away, he took a deep breath, braced himself, leaned down to his bag and pulled out the small parcel. He needed to stay calm – if he let himself get flustered, he wouldn’t be able to say what he wanted to, what he needed to. If he got flustered, it was all, for lack of a better term, going to go to shit. Letting out his breath slowly to try to calm his thudding heart, Koujaku gave the parcel a squeeze, brought it to his lips to press a soft kiss into the ribbon wrapped around it for good luck, and took another deep breath before he said, “Aoba?”

“Hm?” Aoba hummed in reply, not opening his eyes. “Doesn’t the snow feel nice! We should set up a tent so we can just watch it fall. Not like anything is going to actually happen.”

“We can put up the tent in a click but first, “Koujaku held the present out and thumped his hand against Aoba’s chest, “A gift for you.”

Aoba snorted, brought his head up and looked down at his chest, “What is it?” He asked, reaching up to take the parcel from Koujaku’s hands.

“Open it.” Koujaku replied, trying to keep the anxious lilt out of his voice.

Aoba glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, raising an eyebrow before he smiled, “Alright.”

Too nervous to actually watch Aoba unwrap the gift, Koujaku cast his eyes down to his boots. He listened to the paper being ripped away, crumpled up and stuffed away into a pocket. He listened to Aoba opening up the little box, push aside the paper inside and then all noise stopped. Immediately tensing up at the sudden silence, he swallowed against the dryness in his throat. What if he had been wrong? What if he had misunderstood? What if he was moving too quickly? Ice cold trepidation raced down his spine as, for a split second, all the confidence he had previously vanished. Desperately searching his mind for anything to say, something that could help, he nearly jumped out of his skin when Aoba suddenly spoke up in a soft voice, “You mean this, Koujaku?”

“Yes.” Koujaku replied after a moment of silence, after he managed to calm down his racing heart, not looking up from his boots. “I do.”

Several moment almost painful moments of silence passed before he heard Aoba take a deep breath, “This is going to change a lot, Koujaku.”

“I know.” He responded, his voice becoming stronger. Looking up from his boots, he glanced over at Aoba’s face. There was a promising blush dusting his cheeks, his eyes were shimmering. Koujaku was so relieved to find that he actually looked happy – cautious but still very happy. Though, Koujaku couldn’t exactly blame him for the cautiousness. This was a big step, for the both of them. “I know it is and I’m ready to accept that.”

Aoba’s lips curved in a small smile as he gave his head a little shake, “Could have given me a little warning. I thought my heart was going to stop when I saw this.” Aoba tilted the box so Koujaku could see inside. Snuggled safely on top a pillow of white fur were two silver rings. Both rings had a single, thin, long piece of soft black leather securely tied to them. Inscribed into the metal of both rings was a very particular, special rune that glowed with a subtle blue hue in the dim light. Many would take one glance at these rings and immediately understand what they meant. He could only imagine the ruckus he would have heard if he had presented this gift in front of his Brothers. After all, this signified something very important.

The tying of vowed rings. Some called it the marriage of rings, the bonding of rings and some, he had heard, even called it the union of circles, which he found to be rather quaint. Where he was from, it was the tying of vowed rings – a declaration from two or more people that they had become one, they had became bonded in the eyes of all. It wasn’t exactly an official ceremony, at least not like the marriage ceremonies that they had in the East where a Baron had to make it official but the union was recognized everywhere and one of the most highly used methods of marriage in the green and blue world.

Though, those rings were a little special as well as being a little outside of the norm. The specialness, the oddity was found in the runes. Most of rings meant for unions did not have runes and if they did, they were purely for aesthetic reasons – it was rare they had some specific purpose other than just looking pretty but these rings were both him and Aoba, and for Aoba, these vowed rings required something a little special. 

Aoba was a North Born as well as a Sven – he hailed from the ancient land of Northborg, where Svens hailed from. Sven were a distinct race of beings that were hybrids of the extinct Northmen, a hardier ancestor of menfolk, and the believed to be extinct Svest, a mysterious sect of Elves that many believe were close ancestors to the Elves of the East and were thought to have introduced runes into the world. Given that hardly anyone understood or knew anything about the Elves of the East, it was easy to see why practically nothing was known about the Svest. The only thing that was known about the Svest was that sometime several thousands of years ago, they intermingled with the Northmen which eventually led to the birth and introduction to this green and blue world the race of Sven.

Both Svens and North Borns recognized the tying of rings and practiced the method but added a bit of their own touch to it. That special touch being the runes which, as far as Koujaku could understand, were said to mirror what the other was feeling through temperature and color. It was another way to keep the other close to heart when there were spaces in-between. It had been quite difficult for Koujaku to get those runes on the rings as they could only be done in the North but looking at it now, it was definitely worth it.

Smiling a little, he said, “I’m sorry. I wanted to surprise you.”

“You definitely managed that.” Aoba said as though he was trying to sound stern but ultimately failed as there was so much joy in his eyes and there was an undeniable smile on his face. He glanced down at the rings, gave his head a little shake before heaving a deep breath, his face becoming serious as he said, “We can’t go back from this, Koujaku.”

“I don’t want to.” Koujaku replied simply, his voice firm, filled with conviction. He reached up to once again loop that loose strand of blue hair around his finger. Tugging gently, he looked into Aoba’s eyes, raised his other hand to brush the backs of his fingers along Aoba’s cheek and said, his voice soft and full of adoration, “This is what I want, Aoba. I want to stay with you. I want to be with you. I love you, Aoba.” With that last oath utter, he leaned forward to press a passionate kiss against Aoba’s soft, warm, plump lips. Wrapping his arms around Aoba’s back, he pulled him close enough to feel his heartbeat. With his one free hand, Aoba gripped a fistful of Koujaku’s coat, pushing back into the kiss, sliding his lips hungrily over Koujaku’s, moaning softly as Koujaku nipped playfully at his lips. Pushing his tongue in for a quick, teasing swipe through Aoba’s mouth before dragging his own tongue back in his own to savor Aoba’s sweet taste, Koujaku breathed out heavily through his nose as he reached up to take the box from Aoba’s hand, broke the kiss and leaned back slightly before pressing their foreheads together.

“Happy Holiensday, Aoba. May the spirits watch over you in the coming year.”

Aoba chuckled, his face bright red, his eyes eye shining as he leaned against Koujaku, “Happy Holiensday, Koujaku. May the Old Gods guide your hands, lead your feet and keep your heart steady.”

Smiling, Koujaku took a step back, took Aoba’s left hand in his own, brought his hand up to press a kiss gently against his knuckles before saying playfully, “If you’re here, I don’t really have any need for Old Gods, do I?”

Aoba sputtered, a shock of red going across his already very red cheeks as he smacked Koujaku’s arm playfully, “Could you be any sappier, old man?”

Koujaku laughed heartily, “Old man? I’m only four years older than you!”

“Uh huh, you wanna put that ring on me or not, you old fart? I wanna put up the tent at some point.”

Still grinning big enough that he felt like his face might crack; he carefully pulled one ring from the box, making sure the length of soft leather was all out of the box as well. Balancing the box on the fence behind them, he gently, lovingly took Aoba’s hand in his own before sliding the ring to the base of his ring finger. The strip of leather swung freely underneath Aoba’s palm. Koujaku quickly pulled the other ring from the box, fitted it onto his ring finger on the hand opposite than the one Aoba’s was on, grabbed hold of both his and Aoba’s straps of leather, and brought them together.

It took him a little while as his fingers were cold and a bit numb but he managed to tie the ends of both of the straps together in a firm knot. Stepping close to Aoba so their chests were only inches apart, he placed the knot squarely in the middle of his palm before offering his hand to Aoba.

“You’ve been asking if I’m sure but are you?” He asked, his voice somber. Nothing would be the same after this, they both needed to be ready and certain about that.

Aoba stared up into his eyes, his amber ones serious, calm but still, somehow, happy. Without a word, he reached up to grasp Koujaku’s hand in his own, enclosing the knot between their hands. Squeezing firmly, he said, “I am. I love you, Koujaku.”

Koujaku smiled, a warm smile reflecting the pleasant heat that had filled his chest to the brim. Leaning down, he pressed a kiss atop Aoba’s hand and whispered, “I love you too, Aoba.” He felt Aoba bump his forehead against the side of his head – his scent seemed to flow all around them as they stilled in the night air.

Warmth radiated inside the space between their hands as the faint glow the rings were admitted grew brighter in the dim light. Almost as in tune with his heartbeat, the runes pulsed rhythmically several times before giving off a short, intense burst of heat that was almost painful. The ring on Koujaku’s finger tightened, as though it was becoming part of his own flesh. Once the ring was still, wrapped completely snug around the bottom of his finger, the ends of the leather straps tied to the rings unraveled and fell away. Breathing out slowly, his entire body relaxed, his body warm – the tying of vowed rings was halfway done. The first part of the ceremony lasted no more than one full click but it would affect them both for as long as the knot that lay snugly between their hands remained tied.

If he had his way, it would never, ever unravel. If he had his way, he would stay Aoba’s and Aoba would stay his in this life, the next and the next and next and whatever else – forever on, until the end and maybe even beyond that.

“You’re thinking something sappy again, aren’t you?” Aoba’s teasing voice whispered beside him.

“I am.” Koujaku leaned back to smile down into those beautiful, misty amber eyes. Reaching up, he brushed the backs of his fingers along Aoba’s cheek, loving the feel of his soft skin as it glided over his own. He was beautiful. He honestly, truly was. It was corny and sappy and cliché but Koujaku was so sincerely happy. His time in the arms of his Brothers, the life he had before, everything had seemed to led up to this point – this moment in time as he stood in the embrace of his beloved, his heart thundering excitedly in his chest, the scent of Aoba surrounding him and looking down into those eyes that reflected back the exact same love, the exact same feeling, everything felt right.

“I am.” He whispered, leaning down to brush his lips against Aoba’s in a slow, sweet kiss. “You’re just going to have to get used to that.”

Aoba heaved a long, suffering but playful smile as he took a step back, still holding on tightly to Koujaku’s hand, “I suppose, I am.” A large grin spread across his face as he gave Koujaku’s hand an affectionate squeeze, “Granny is going to be very surprised.”

“Oh yes.” Koujaku replied, smiling back, “Everyone is going to be. I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces. Should we put the knot in the box and present it to her as a gift?”

“She’d probably beat you over the head with a rolling pin if you tried that.”

Koujaku snorted, “Yes, she most likely would. How should we go about this then?”

Aoba shrugged, “We’ll take it as it comes. That’s what we always done. Now, can we please get the tent up? I’m freezing! And starving!”

“Yes, yes but first…you ready?” Koujaku lifted his hand, still firmly holding onto Aoba’s, up. There was one more step they had to take. To him, it was the scariest. The knot safely tucked away inside of their hands represented their bond – a simple representation but one that got the message across. While it was in their hands, the bond was safe but they couldn’t stay like that forever. They couldn’t hold that knot in their hands for the rest of their lives – they couldn’t protect it, couldn’t hide it away from the world, eventually, they were going to have to let go and expose it – to whatever may come; hardships, happiness, sadness, pain, anything and everything that could possibly be endured, they had to expose it to that.

By exposing it, they risked it unraveling – coming apart, falling to pieces, becoming undone but, by exposing it, they also had the chance of it becoming stronger, they had the chance of it pulling the intermingled twines even closer. What could happen, what would happen, no one knew but there was no way to hide it away forever. So with the ceremony came the final step, one many feared, one many put off, one many wished they didn’t have to do but it still had to be done.

Taking a deep breath, he reached over, took Aoba’s other hand in his own, squeezed it firmly and whispered, “Ready?”

Aoba squeezed his hand back, his face somber and still, “Ready.”

As he was the one who presented the rings, he had to be the one who exposed the knot. Slowly, carefully, delicately, he pulled his hand away from Aoba’s, letting his fingers trail over the knot, over Aoba’s skin, over the representation of their bond. He let his hand drop to his side, swinging it nervously as he looked down at the knot in the middle of Aoba’s palm, “Forever, Aoba.” He whispered into the snow, the cold, the air, to the Old Gods, to the spirits, to everyone but most sincerely, most openly to the man he loved.

“Forever, Koujaku.” Aoba replied, closing his hand over the knot. Bringing his fist to his chest, he lowered his head for a moment, whispered something in his native tongue before looking up with a smile, “I think Granny will also be pleased.”

Koujaku chuckled, “I certainly hope so. Now, shall we get that tent set up, Aoba?”

“Yes but first,” Aoba fetched the box that had once held the rings from atop the fence and carefully placed the knot inside, “Granny will most likely want to take it back to the Northborg, to stash away in the Aelsn Church. Is that alright with you?”

“Of course, whatever you wish. It would be safest there, yes?”

“Yes, it would.” Aoba replied looking up with a smile as he snapped the box closed. “Tomorrow is going to be a fun day, Koujaku.”

“Yes, I do believe it is going to be, Aoba.” He smiled back before giving Aoba’s hand another affectionate squeeze then turned to finally start putting the tent up.


End file.
